Recently the temperatures have fallen into the negative digits at night with highs in the 1 to 10 degree range during the day. I haven't had cold start issues with the MINI before but until this year I'd been living in a somewhat warmer climate. On Saturday the MINI started up with no issues but after backing out of my driveway the car stalled and died in the street. It hasn't successfully turned over since. We towed the MINI back into the (unheated) garage and it's been hanging out there ever since. Different things happen when the Start button is pushed, but the most common is that the engine starts and idles at 200 RPMs while multiple warning lights start cycling on the tachometer display - ABS failure, power steering failure, steering lock malfunction, etc - followed by the engine stalling, and the headlights & radio turning on. If I press the start button again, different things can happen - sometimes the car will repeat the previous actions, sometimes it'll make a low whine until the Start button is pressed again to stop the failing startup process, and sometimes the interior lights and headlights will flash in sync with a loud ticking noise coming from under the hood.

I'd love suggestions as to what this could be before I head off to have it repaired. Anyone else have a similar issue?

Here's a video of one of the start attempts:

 

Mini's are notorious for doing strange things when the battery dies. Cold weather is extremely hard on batteries. How old is your battery?

At the very least I would charge your battery and have it tested. If in doubt, replace it.

 

Why is it that people only tend to think about their car battery in the winter? The fact is, summer heat can be even more damaging than winter’s cold temperatures when it comes to car batteries. And yet, few people give batteries a thought during the heat of summer. The cold hard truth is that:

• When the mercury rises, a car battery's strength goes down.
• Extreme heat, like 95° F outside combined with high temperatures under the hood, accelerates corrosion of car batteries.
• Heat causes the water to evaporate out of battery fluid, breaking down the battery grids.

Weak batteries can struggle on for months, turning over the engine while it's easy to start and generate a charge. The real test comes when temperatures drop. A weakened battery has to overcome cold temperatures and a harder-to-crank engine because the cold thickened the engine's oil. The heat's attack lowered the battery's starting power, meaning someone's going to have to call for a jump-start and a replacement battery -- unless you get there first.

 

Wow...who p...sed on your Wheaties???

 

It was more of a FYI.

 

I haven't ever replaced it, but I bought the car used in 2010. I'm guessing it's never been replaced. You're right, though, it's probably a good place to start! Thanks for the suggestion